Air conditioner

ABSTRACT

An air conditioner of present invention comprises a housing having an outer panel forming the exterior and an opening formed on the outer panel, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air flowing into the housing, and a door unit configured to open or close the opening by moving forward or backward from the opening through which the heat exchanged air is discharged. Wherein the door unit comprises a door blade configured to open or close the opening, a door operating part configured to move the door blade forward or backward, and a controller configured to control the air discharged from the opening to be moved forward from the opening in a straight line or to be discharged radially from the opening by controlling a distance between the door blade and the opening.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No.15/745,698, which is the National Stage of International Application No.PCT/KR2016/007566, filed Jul. 12, 2016, which claims the benefit ofKorean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0102003, filed Jul. 17, 2015 andKorean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0017023, filed Feb. 15, 2016, thedisclosures of which are fully incorporated herein by reference into thepresent disclosure as if fully set forth herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to air conditioners, and moreparticularly, to an air conditioner employing different air dischargingmethods.

BACKGROUND

In general, an air conditioner is a device for controlling temperature,humidity, airflows, airflow distribution, etc., to be right for humanactivities and simultaneously, eliminating dust or something in the airby using refrigeration cycles. The refrigeration cycle is comprised ofkey elements, such as a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a blowerfan, etc.

The air conditioners may be classified into split air conditioners withindoor and outdoor units separately installed, and packaged airconditioners with indoor and outdoor units installed together in asingle cabinet. The indoor unit of the split air conditioner includes aheat exchanger for exchanging heat of the air sucked into the panel, anda blower fan for sucking the room air into the panel and blowing the airback into the room.

The indoor units of conventional air conditioners are manufactured suchthat the heat exchanger is minimized in size and the air velocity andair volume are maximized by increasing revolutions per minute (rpm) ofthe blower fan. This reduces discharge temperature, and discharges theair into the room through a narrow and long fluid path.

When the user is directly exposed to the discharged air, he/she mightfeel cold and unpleasant, and on the contrary, when he/she is notexposed to the discharged air, he/she might feel hot and unpleasant.

Furthermore, increasing the rpm of the blower fan to achieve a high windvelocity may lead to a problem of increasing noise. As for an airconditioner using radiation for air conditioning instead of the blowerfan, it requires a large panel to have equal capabilities to those ofthe blower fan based air conditioner. This may slow down the coolingspeed and increase installation costs.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an air conditioner employing differentair discharging methods.

The present disclosure also provides an air conditioner forcooling/heating the room at a minimum wind velocity at which the usermay feel pleasant.

The present disclosure also provides an air conditioner capable ofcooling through convection at a minimum wind velocity and cooling usinga cold air region formed in a neighboring area.

An air conditioner of present invention comprises a housing having anouter panel forming the exterior and an opening formed on the outerpanel, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air flowinginto the housing, and a door unit configured to open or close theopening by moving forward or backward from the opening through which theheat exchanged air is discharged, wherein the door unit comprises a doorblade configured to open or close the opening, a door operating partconfigured to move the door blade forward or backward, and a controllerconfigured to control the air discharged from the opening to be movedforward from the opening in a straight line or to be discharged radiallyfrom the opening by controlling a distance between the door blade andthe opening.

The door unit may be configured for the discharged air to move forwardin a straight line from the opening when the door blade is a firstdistance away from the opening.

The door unit may be configured for the discharged air to be radiallydischarged from the opening when the door blade is a second distanceaway from the opening.

The air conditioner may further include a first discharger formed withthe opening and a second discharger for discharging air through theouter panel, wherein the heat exchanged air may be selectivelydischarged to one of the first discharger and the second discharger.

The second discharger may be formed on the outer panel and include aplurality of discharging holes formed to penetrate the inside andoutside of the outer panel.

The door operating part may include an outer housing having a gear partformed on the bottom surface and having at least one first guidediagonally formed at an angle to the side surface, an inner housingarranged inside the outer housing and having a first coupling portionformed to be inserted to the first guide and moved along the firstguide, a power transfer part configured to deliver rotational force tothe gear part, and a housing cover having a second guide therein toguide the first coupling portion to be moved in a parallel direction toa moving direction of the door blade, and coupled to the inner housingand the door blade.

The outer housing may be configured to be relatively rotated outside theinner housing that is fixed.

The door operating part may be configured to move the housing cover andthe door blade forward or backward as the first coupling portion ismoved forward or backward along the first guide and the second guidewhen the inner housing is rotated.

The door blade may include a first blade and a second blade in the formof a ring enclosing the outside of the first blade, wherein the firstblade and the second blade may form a plurality of discharging fluidpaths by sequentially moving forward or backward from the opening.

The door blade may include a third blade in the form of a ring enclosingthe outside of the second blade, wherein the first blade, the secondblade, and the third blade may form a plurality of discharging fluidpaths by sequentially moving forward or backward from the opening.

The inside of the housing forming the opening may include a curvedportion formed to be curved toward the outside of the housing.

An air conditioner according to another aspect of the present inventioncomprises a housing having an outer panel forming the exterior and anopening formed on the outer panel, a heat exchanger configured toexchange heat with air flowing into the housing, and a door unitconfigured to open or close the opening by moving forward or backwardfrom the opening through which the heat exchanged air is discharged,wherein the door unit comprises a door blade configured to open or closethe opening, an outer housing having a gear part formed on the bottomsurface and having at least one first guide diagonally formed at anangle to the side surface, an inner housing arranged inside the outerhousing and having a first coupling portion formed to be inserted to thefirst guide and moved along the first guide, a power transfer partconfigured to deliver rotational force to the gear part, and a housingcover having a second guide therein to guide the first coupling portionto be moved in a parallel direction to a moving direction of the doorblade, and coupled to the inner housing and the door blade.

An air conditioner according to still another aspect of the presentinvention comprises a housing having an outer panel forming the exteriorand an opening formed on the outer panel, a heat exchanger configured toexchange heat with air flowing into the housing, a first dischargerformed with the opening, a second discharger configured to discharge airthrough the outer panel and discharge air at a different wind velocityfrom that of air discharged from the first discharger, and a door unitconfigured to open or close the opening through which heat exchanged airis discharged.

The door unit may include a door blade comprising a flexible material,and a door operating part configured to slide the door blade on theopening in the radial direction of the opening.

The door blade may be configured to move to an inner side of the housingwhen the opening is opened.

The door unit may further include a guide for guiding the slidingmovement of the door blade.

The door unit may include a door blade having the form of a disc andcomprising an elastic material, and a door operating part configured tochange the diameter of the door blade.

The door blade may have a rear surface connected to the door driver, thedoor blade may configured to open the opening as the diameter of thedoor blade decreases when the door driver moves backward and pulls therear surface of the door blade backward and close the opening as thediameter of the door blade increases when the door driver moves forwardand pushes the rear surface of the door blade forward.

The door operating part may further include a controller to control anarea of the opening through which the exchanged air is discharged bycontrolling the forward or backward moving distance.

The heat exchanged air may be discharged through the first dischargerwhen the first discharger is open and discharged through the seconddischarger when the first discharger is close.

The air conditioner according to embodiments of the present disclosuremay discharge heat exchanged air at different wind velocities.

The air conditioner may employ different methods for blowing heatexchanged air depending on the surroundings of the user.

Furthermore, the air conditioner may perform air conditioning in theroom not to expose the user directly to the heat exchanged air, therebyincreasing user satisfaction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded views of an air conditioner, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of A-A′ of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows combination of a discharging plate and a housing, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show combination of a discharging plate and a guideopening, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11 illustrate operation of an air conditioner,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a discharge guide, according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 13, 14, 15, and 16 show a discharge guide, according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 17 and 18 show a discharge guide, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 21 and 22 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 25 and 26 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 27 and 28 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 29 is a rear perspective view of a door unit, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 30 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a structure of thedoor unit of FIG. 29

FIG. 31 shows a door blade of the door unit of FIG. 29

FIG. 32 shows a first housing cover of the door unit of FIG. 29

FIG. 33 shows an inner housing of the door unit of FIG. 29

FIG. 34 shows structures of an outer housing and a power transfer partof the door unit off FIG. 29,

FIG. 35 shows a coupling relationship between a gear part and the powertransfer part to be coupled with the outer housing of the door unit ofFIG. 29.

FIGS. 36 to 38 show a flow path in an air conditioner, through which theheat exchanged air is discharged by driving of the door unit of FIG. 29.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a door unit, according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure

FIG. 40 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a structure of thedoor unit of FIG. 39

FIG. 41 is a rear view of a door operating part in the door unit of FIG.39.

FIG. 42 shows the door operating part of the door unit of FIG. 39, whichis separated from an outer housing.

FIG. 43 shows the door operating part of the door unit of FIG. 39, whichis separated from the outer housing, an inner housing, and a housingcover.

FIGS. 44 to 46 show driving of the door unit of FIG. 39.

FIG. 47 is a perspective view of a door unit, according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 48 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a structure of thedoor unit of FIG. 47

FIGS. 49 to 51 show driving of the door unit of FIG. 47.

FIG. 52 is an exploded perspective view of a door unit, according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure

FIG. 53 is a rear view of a door operating part in the door unit of FIG.52.

FIG. 54 shows the door operating part of FIG. 52, which is separatedfrom an outer housing.

FIG. 55 shows the door operating part of FIG. 52, which is separatedfrom the outer housing, an inner housing, and a housing cover.

FIGS. 56 to 57 show driving of the door operating part of FIG. 52.

FIGS. 58 to 60 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 61 to 63 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 64 to 66 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 67 and 68 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 69 and 70 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments and features as described and illustrated in the presentdisclosure are only preferred examples, and various modificationsthereof may also fall within the scope of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts orcomponents.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Itis to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” includeplural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof.

The terms including ordinal numbers like “first” and “second” may beused to explain various components, but the components are not limitedby the terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing acomponent from another. Thus, a first element, component, region, layeror section discussed below could be termed a second element, component,region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of thepresent disclosure. Descriptions shall be understood as to include anyand all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items whenthe items are described by using the conjunctive term “˜ and/or ˜,” orthe like.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of whichare illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like referencenumerals refer to the like elements throughout.

A refrigeration cycle of an Air conditioner (AC) is comprised of acompressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. Therefrigeration cycle circulates in a series of processes of compression,condensing, expansion, and evaporation, enabling heat exchange betweenhigh temperature air and low temperature refrigerants and then supplyingthe cooled air into the room.

The compressor compresses a gas refrigerant into a high temperature andhigh pressure state and discharges the compressed gas refrigerant, andthe discharged gas refrigerant flows into the condenser. The condensercondenses the compressed gas refrigerant into a liquid state, releasingheat to the surroundings. The expansion valve expands the hightemperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant condensed by thecondenser to low pressure liquid refrigerant. The evaporator evaporatesthe refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve. The evaporator achievesa cooling effect using latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant toexchange heat with an object to be cooled, and has low temperature andlow pressure gas refrigerant return to the compressor. Through thisrefrigeration cycle, the temperature of indoor air may be controlled.

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner refers to a part comprised of thecompressor and an outdoor heat exchanger of the refrigeration cycle. Theexpansion valve may be placed in one of the indoor or outdoor units, andthe indoor heat exchanger is placed in the indoor unit of the airconditioner.

In the present disclosure, an air conditioner for cooling the room isprovided, where the outdoor heat exchanger serves as the condenser whilethe indoor heat exchanger serves as the evaporator. Hereinafter, forconvenience of explanation, an indoor unit including the indoor heatexchanger is called an air conditioner, and the indoor heat exchanger iscalled a heat exchanger.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner 1 may include a housing 10 havingat least one opening 17 and forming the exterior of the indoor unit, aheat exchanger 20 for exchanging heat with the air flowing into thehousing 10, a blower 30 for circulating air into or out of the housing10, and an air discharger 40 for discharging the air blown from theblower 30 out of the housing 10.

The housing 10 may include a front panel 10 a with the at least oneopening 17 formed thereon, a back panel 10 b arranged in the back of thefront panel 10 a, side panels 10 c arranged between the front and backpanels 10 a and 10 b, and top/bottom panels 10 d arranged on thetop/bottom of the side panels 10 c. The at least one opening 17 may havea circular shape, and at least two or more openings 17 may be arrangedon the front panel 10 a at certain intervals in the vertical direction.The back panel 10 b may have an inlet 19 formed to suck the outside airinto the housing 10.

The inlet 19 formed on the back panel 10 b arranged in the back of theheat exchanger 20 may guide the air outside the housing 10 to flow intothe housing 10. The air flowing into the housing 10 through the inlet 19absorbs or loses heat while passing the heat exchanger 20. The air thathas exchanged heat while passing the heat exchanger 20 is discharged bythe blower 30 out of the housing 10 through an outlet.

The blower 30 may include a blower fan 32 and a blower grill 34.

The blower grill 34 may be arranged in the direction in which the blowerfan 32 discharges air. In the embodiment, the blower fan 32 may be amixed flow fan without being limited thereto, and may be any kind of fanthat has the outside air flow into the housing 10 and discharges the airout of the housing 10. For example, the blower fan 32 may be a crossfan, a turbo fan, or a sirocco fan. There is no limitation on the numberof the blower fans 32, and in the embodiment of the present disclosure,there may be at least one blower fan 32 corresponding to the at leastone opening. The blower fan 32 may be arranged in front of the inlet 19,and the heat exchanger 20 may be arranged between the blower fan 32 andthe inlet 19. A first discharger 41 may be arranged in front of theblower fan 32.

The blower 30 may have a fan driver 33 arranged in the center of theblower fan 32 for driving the blower fan 32. The fan driver 33 mayinclude a motor.

The blower grill 34 may be arranged in front of the blower fan 32 forguiding airflow. Furthermore, the blower grill 34 may be arrangedbetween the blower fan 32 and the air discharger 40 for minimizing theinfluence of the outside condition on the blower fan 32.

The blower grill 34 may include a plurality of wings 35. The pluralityof wings 35 may control the direction or the volume of the air blownfrom the blower fan 32 to the air discharger 40 by controlling thenumber, shape, and/or angle of disposition of the wings 35.

As will be described later, a door operating part 66 may be arranged inthe center of the blower grill 34. The door operating part 66 and thefan driver 33 may be aligned in the back and forth direction. With thearrangement, the plurality of wings 35 of the blower grill 34 may bearranged in front of the fan wings of the blower fan 32.

The blower 30 may include a duct 36. The duct 36 may be formed to have acircular shape that encloses the blower fan 32 to guide airflow of theair flowing into the blower fan 32. In other words, the air sucked inthrough the inlet 19 and having passed the heat exchanger 20 may beguided to flow into the blower fan 32.

The heat exchanger 20 is arranged between the blower fan 32 and theinlet 19 for absorbing heat from or transferring heat to the air flowingin through the inlet 19. The heat exchanger 20 may include a tube 21,and headers 22 combined on the upper and bottom sides of the tube 21.However, the type of the heat exchanger 20 is not limited thereto.

There may be at least one heat exchanger 20 arranged inside the housing10 to correspond to the number of the openings.

The air discharger 40 is arranged in the housing 10 for discharging theair that has exchanged heat inside the housing 10 out of the housing 10.The air discharger 40 may include a first discharger 41 and a seconddischarger 50, which will be described later.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded views of an air conditioner, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectionalview of A-A′ of FIG. 1.

The air conditioner 1 may be configured to operate in differentoperation modes. The operation modes may include a first mode fordischarging the heat exchanged air to the opening 17 formed on thehousing 10, and a second mode for discharging the heat exchanged air toa discharging plate 14 formed on the housing 10. In addition, there maybe a third mode for discharging the heat exchanged air to both theopening 17 and the discharging plate 14. The discharging plate 14 willbe described later.

In the first, second, and third modes, the heat exchanged air may bedischarged through the first discharger 41, the second discharger 50,and both the first and second dischargers 41 and 50, respectively. Inother words, the air that has exchanged heat by the heat exchanger 20may be discharged by the blower fan 32 out of the air conditioner 1through the first and second dischargers 41 and 50.

In the first mode, the heat exchanged air is discharged to the firstdischarger 41, in which case the heat exchanged air is not entirelydischarged to the first discharger 41 but partly discharged to thesecond discharger 50. That is, in the first mode, the majority of theheat exchanged air is discharged to the first discharger 41. Even in thesecond mode, as in the first mode, the majority of the heat exchangedair is discharged to the second discharger 50.

The air that has passed the blower 30 may be discharged out of thehousing 10 through the air discharger 40.

Again, the air discharger 40 may include the first discharger 41 and thesecond discharger 50. The heat exchanged air may be discharged throughat least one of the first and second dischargers 41 and 50. Furthermore,the heat exchanged air may be selectively discharged through at leastone of the first and second dischargers 41 and 50.

The first discharger 41 may discharge air through an opening formed onthe housing 10. While the air conditioner 1 is operating in the firstmode, the heat exchanged air may be discharged out of the housing 10through the first discharger 41. The first discharger 41 is formed todischarge the heat exchanged air directly to the outside. The firstdischarger 41 may be formed to be exposed outside the housing 10.

The first discharger 41 may be arranged in the blowing direction of theblower fan 32 for discharging the heat exchanged air directly to theoutside. In other words, the first discharger 41 is arranged in front ofthe blower fan 32 of the blower 30 such that the air blown from theblower 30 is discharged directly to the first discharger 41.

The air blown from the blower fan 32 may flow through a firstdischarging fluid path 41 a (see FIG. 9) formed between the blower fan32 and the first discharger 41. The first discharging fluid path 41 amay be formed by a discharge guide 45.

The first discharger 41 may be formed by a guide opening 43. The guideopening 43 may be formed to be connected to the opening 17 and may formthe first discharger 41 along the inner circumference of the guideopening 43. The guide opening 43 may be formed to be exposed outsidethrough the opening 17 of the housing 10, and formed to enable a doorunit 60, which will be described below, to be safely placed in the guideopening 43. The guide opening 43 may be arranged in the opening 17 ofthe housing 10 and may form the first discharger 41 along the innercircumference of the guide opening 43.

The first discharger 41 may be formed to be open or close by the doorunit 60.

The door unit 60 opens or closes the first discharger 41, and is formedto discharge the heat exchanged air out of the housing 10 selectivelythrough the first discharger 41. The door unit 60 may control the heatexchanged air to flow to at least one of the first and seconddischargers 41 and 50 by opening or closing the first discharger 41.

The door unit 60 is formed to be movable between a door open position 60a (see FIGS. 8 and 9) to open the first discharger 41 and a door closeposition 60 b (see FIGS. 10 and 11) to close the first discharger 41.The door unit 60 may be formed to be movable between the door openposition 60 a and the door close position 60 b back and forth.

Specifically, the door unit 60 may include a door blade 62, and a dooroperating part 66 for operating the door blade 62.

The door blade 62 may be shaped like a circle corresponding to the shapeof the first discharger 41. When the door unit 60 is in the door openposition 60 a, the door blade 62 is arranged to be at some distance fromthe guide opening 43, and when the door unit 60 is in the door closeposition 60 b, the door blade 62 is arranged to contact the guideopening 43 to close the first discharger 41.

The door blade 62 may include a blade body 63 having a circular form tocorrespond to the first discharger 41, and a blade coupling portion 64formed to extend from the blade body 63 to be combined with the dooroperating part 66.

The blade body 63 may be shaped like almost a round plate. Furthermore,the blade body 63 may be formed such that one side of the blade body 63faces the outside of the housing 10 and the other side of the blade body63 faces the blower 30.

A display is arranged on one side of the blade body 63 for displayingoperation states of the AC 1 or allowing the user to manipulate the AC1.

The door operating part 66 may be formed for the door blade 62 to bemovable. The door operating part 66 may include a motor (not shown). Thedoor operating part 66 may be combined with the blade coupling portion64 of the door blade 62 to move the door blade 62.

The aforementioned blower grill 34 may be arranged along thecircumference of the door operating part 66. The air blown from theblower fan 32 arranged on the back of the blower grill 34 may pass theblower grill 34 and be discharged ahead.

The second discharger 50 may be arranged to discharge air through anouter panel. While the AC 1 is operating in the second mode, the heatexchanged air may be discharged out of the housing 10 through the seconddischarger 50. This arrangement enables the heat exchanged air to bedischarged to the outside while the wind velocity of the heat exchangedair is reduced. The second discharger 50 may be formed on thedischarging plate 14, which will be described below, and may include aplurality of discharging holes bored through the inner and outer sidesof the discharging plate 14. The opening 17 of the housing 10 may bearranged on the discharging plate 14 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, withoutbeing limited thereto. For example, it is also possible for the opening17 and the discharging plate 14 to be arranged on the different sides ofthe housing 10.

In the case that the heat exchanged air is discharged out of the housing10 through the second discharger 50, the air blown by the blower fan 32may flow through the second discharging fluid path 50 a formed betweenthe blower fan 32 and the second discharger 50. The second dischargingfluid path 50 a may be formed by the discharge guide 45 and adischarging panel 12, which will be described below.

The external panel may include an exterior panel 11 forming theexterior, and the discharging panel 12 formed to discharge the heatexchanged air. The discharging panel 12 may be part of the externalpanel, or may be part of the discharger.

The discharging panel 12 may be arranged to form the second dischargingfluid path 50 a. The heat exchanged air may be discharged out of the AC1 through the second discharging fluid path 50 a formed by thedischarging panel 12 and through the discharging plate 14 as will bedescribed below, at a low velocity.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the discharging panel 12 isarranged on the front of the AC 1 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, withoutbeing limited thereto. For example, the discharging panel 12 may bearranged on at least one of the front, the right side, the left side,the rear side, and the top of the AC 1.

The discharging panel 12 may include a fluid path shaping frame 13 andthe discharging plate 14.

The fluid path shaping frame 13 may be formed to partition the inside ofthe housing 10 from the second discharging fluid path 50 a. The fluidpath shaping frame 13 may prevent the heat exchanged air from flowingback into the housing 10. In the embodiment of the present disclosure,the fluid path shaping frame 13 may be formed to extend from the blowergrill 34 to be connected to the exterior panel 11.

The second discharger 50 may be formed on the discharging plate 14. Thedischarging plate 14 and the second discharger 50 may be collectivelycalled a plate discharger.

The shape of the second discharger 50 has no limitation, but in theembodiment of the present disclosure, may have the form of a pluralityof discharging holes. The second discharger 50 may be formed to borethrough the front and back faces of the discharging plate 14. Thedischarging plate 14 may be arranged on an outer side compared to thefluid path shaping frame 13, forming the second discharging fluid path50 a with the fluid path shaping frame 13.

The second discharger 50 may include a discharging area formed on atleast a portion of the discharging plate 14. In the discharging area, aplurality of discharging holes may be formed such that they areuniformly distributed or concentrated in at least a portion of thedischarging area. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, thedischarging area has a plurality of uniformly distributed holes.

The discharging area may be formed at least a portion of the dischargingplate 14. It is, however, not limited thereto, but may be formed allover the discharging plate 14.

In the aforementioned third mode, the heat exchanged air is divided tothe first and second dischargers 41 and 50 and discharged. An amount ofdivision for each discharger may depend on settings, or may be adjustedby the controller.

The air discharger 40 may include the first discharging fluid path 41 afor guiding the heat exchanged air to the first discharger 41, and thesecond discharging fluid path 50 a for guiding the heat exchanged air tothe second discharger 50. The first and second discharging fluid paths41 a and 50 a may be referred to as a discharging fluid path and aradiation discharging fluid path, respectively.

The air blown by the blower fan 32 may flow through at least one of thefirst and second discharging fluid paths 41 a and 50 a.

In the first mode, the air blown by the blower fan 32 may flow throughthe first discharging fluid path 41 a formed between the blower fan 32and the first discharger 41. In the second mode, the air blown by theblower fan 32 may flow through the second discharging fluid path 50 aformed between the blower fan 32 and the second discharger 50.

The air discharger 40 may include a discharge guide 45. The air blown bythe blower fan 32 may be controlled by the discharge guide 45. Thedischarge guide 45 may be arranged in front of the blower 30 forenabling the air flowing from the blower 30 to flow through at least oneof the first and second discharging fluid paths 41 a and 50 a.

The discharge guide 45 may include a guide body 46 and a guide groove47.

The guide body 46 may be formed to form the first discharging fluid pathon the inside. The guide body 46 may be shaped like a cylinder with acavity. Specifically, the guide body 46 may have the form of a pipe withone side facing the blower 30 and the other side facing the firstdischarger 41.

The guide groove 47 may be formed for the second discharging fluid path50 a to pass through. The guide groove 47 may be formed on the guidebody 46. There is no limitation on the shape of the guide groove 47, andthe guide groove 47 may have any shape if only it is formed on the guidebody 46 for enabling the air to flow to the outer direction of the guidebody 46. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the guide groove47 may be formed to have a plurality of halls along the circumference ofthe guide body 46.

In the first mode, the door unit 60 opens the first discharger 41. Inthis case, the air blown from the blower 30 passes the first dischargingfluid path 41 a formed inside of the guide body 46 and is discharged tothe first discharger 41.

In the second mode, the door unit 60 closes the first discharger 41. Inthis case, one side of the guide body 46 is closed by the door unit 60,forcing the air blown from the blower 30 to pass the guide groove 47formed on the guide body 46 and is discharged to the second discharger50.

FIG. 5 shows combination of a discharging plate and a housing, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIGS. 6 and 7 showcombination of a discharging plate and a guide opening, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

The discharging plate 14 may include plate coupling portions 15 a, 15 b.The plate coupling portions 15 a, 15 b may be formed to combine thedischarging plate 14 with the housing 10 or the guide opening 43.

The plate coupling portion 15 a may be formed along the contour of thedischarging plate 14 for combination with the housing 10. The platecoupling portion 15 b may be formed along the contour of the opening 17of the discharging plate 14 for combination with the guide opening 43.

The plate coupling portions 15 a, 15 b may be formed to protrude fromthe discharging plate 14. The plate coupling portions 15 a, 15 b mayinclude plate rabbet grooves 16 a, shaped like holes, to catchprojections 18, 43 b, which will be described later.

The plate coupling portions 15 a, 15 b may include the first platecoupling portion 15 a to combine the discharging plate 14 with thehousing 10, and the second plate coupling portion 15 b to combine thedischarging plate 14 with the guide opening 43.

At least one first plate coupling portion 15 a may be arranged along thecontour of the discharging plate 14. The first plate coupling portion 15a is combined with the housing 10 to combine the housing 10 and thedischarging plate 14.

A first projection 18 may be arranged on the housing 10 at a positioncorresponding to the first plate coupling portion 15 a. In theembodiment of the present disclosure, the first projection 18 isarranged at a position corresponding to the first plate coupling portion15 a on the outer edge of the fluid path shaping frame 13. However,where to arrange the first projection 18 is not limited thereto, if onlythe first projection 18 is arranged to correspond to the first platecoupling portion 15 a such that the housing 10 and the discharging plate14 are combined.

As shown in FIG. 5, in a case of having the discharging plate 14 closelycontact the housing 10, the first plate rabbet groove 16 a of the firstplate coupling portion 15 a is formed to catch the first projection 18.This enables the discharging plate 14 to be attached onto the housing10.

There are no limitations on the number of the first plate couplingportions 15 a and the number of the first projections 18.

At least one second plate coupling portion 15 b may be arranged alongthe contour of the opening 17, as shown in FIG. 6. The second platecoupling portion 15 b is combined with the guide opening 43 to combinethe guide opening 43 and the discharging plate 14.

A guide insertion groove 43 a may be formed in the guide opening 43 forthe second plate coupling portion 15 b to be inserted thereto. When thedischarging plate 14 and the guide opening 43 have close contact witheach other, the second plate coupling portion 15 b may be insertedthrough the guide insertion groove 43 a, passing through the guideopening 43. The guide insertion groove 43 a may be arranged along thecircumference of the guide opening 43 to correspond to the second platecoupling portion 15 b arranged on the outer edge of the opening.

The second plate coupling portion 15 b may be inserted into the guideinsertion groove 43 a such that the second projection 43 b is caught inthe second plate rabbet groove, thereby combining the discharging plate14 and the guide opening 43. As such, combining the discharging plate 14and the guide opening 43 may connect the opening 17 and the firstdischarger 41.

There are no limitation on the number of the second plate couplingportions 15 b, second projections 43 b, and guide insertion grooves 43a, but in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second platecoupling portions 15 b, second projections 43 b, and guide insertiongrooves 43 a all have four each.

Operation of the AC in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure will now be described.

FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11 illustrate operation of an air conditioner,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The air flowing into the housing 10 from outside exchanges heat with theheat exchanger 20. The air that has been air-conditioned by the heatexchanger 20 is discharged by the blower 30 out of the housing 10.

The AC 1 discharges the air that has passed the heat exchanger 20through at least one of the first and second dischargers 41 and 50. Forexample, the AC 1 may discharge the air through the first discharger 41to perform intensive air conditioning in the first mode, or maydischarge the air through the second discharger 50 to slow down airconditioning all over the room in the second mode.

The first discharger 41 may be open or close by operation of the doorunit 60. When the first discharger 41 is opened, the heat exchanged airis discharged through the first discharger 41, and when the firstdischarger 41 is closed, the heat exchanged air is discharged throughthe second discharger 50.

Operation of the AC 1 in the first mode will now be described in moredetail.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate an air conditioner operating in the first mode.

In the first mode, the heat exchanged air is discharged through thefirst discharger 41. In the first mode, when the door unit 60 is in thedoor open position 60 a, the door blade 62 is at some distance from theguide opening 43, enabling the first discharger 41 to be opened.

In this case, the air flowing from the blower 30 flows through the firstdischarging fluid path 41 a formed by the guide body 46 to the firstdischarger 41.

In this case where the air is discharged out of the housing 10 throughthe first discharger 41, the wind velocity of the blower 30 remainsconstant.

Operation of the AC 1 in the second mode will now be described in moredetail.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate an air conditioner operating in the secondmode.

In the second mode, the heat exchanged air is discharged through thesecond discharger 50. In the second mode, when the door unit 60 is inthe door close position 60 b, the door blade 62 comes into contact withthe guide opening 43 to close the first discharger 41.

In this case, the air flowing from the blower 30 passes the guide groove47 formed on the guide body 46 because the first discharger 41 isblocked by the door blade 62. Thus, the air flowing from the blower 30flows through the second discharging fluid path 50 a to the seconddischarger 50.

In this case where the air is discharged out of the housing 10 throughthe second discharger 50, the air slows down while passing the pluralityof discharging holes of the discharging plate 14 and is discharged tothe outside at a low velocity.

With this structure, the AC 1 may cool or heat the room at a windvelocity that makes the user feel pleasant.

The first and second dischargers 41 and 50 may also be called ahigh-rate discharger and a low-rate discharger, respectively.

Operation of the AC 1 in the third mode will now be described in moredetail.

In the third mode, the heat exchanged air is discharged out of thehousing 10 by being divided into the first and second dischargers 41 and50. An amount of division for each discharger may depend on settings ormay be adjusted by the controller. Alternatively, it may be adjusteddepending on the surrounding conditions sensed by some temperaturesensor.

An air conditioner in accordance with another embodiment of the presentdisclosure will now be described.

Arrangements overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a discharge guide, according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

The discharge guide 145 may be arranged in front of the blower 30 forenabling the air flowing from the blower 30 to flow through at least oneof the first and second discharging fluid paths 41 a and 50 a.

The discharge guide 145 may be formed of at least one of mesh and porousmaterials.

The discharge guide 145 may include a guide body 146 and a guide groove147.

The guide body 146 may be formed to form the first discharging fluidpath on the inside. The guide body 146 may be shaped like a cylinderwith a cavity. Specifically, the guide body 146 may have the form of apipe with one side facing the blower 30 and the other side facing thefirst discharger 41.

The guide groove 147 may be formed for the second discharging fluid path50 a to pass through. The guide groove 147 may be formed on the guidebody 146. There is no limitation on the shape of the guide groove 147,and the guide groove 47 may have any shape if only it is formed on theguide body 146 for enabling the air to flow to the outer direction ofthe guide body 146. In the present embodiment, since the discharge guide145 is formed of a mesh or porous material, the guide groove 147 may bea porous portion formed in the guide body 146.

An AC in accordance with still another embodiment of the presentdisclosure will now be described.

Arrangements overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 13, 14, 15, and 16 show a discharge guide, according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

A discharge guide 245 may include a first guide 246 and a second guide248.

The first guide 246 may include a guide body 246 a and a guide groove246 b.

The guide body 246 a may have a cylindrical form with a cavity.Specifically, it may have the form of a pipe with one side facing theblower 30 and the other side facing the first discharger 41.

The guide groove 246 b may be formed on the guide body 246 a. There areno limitations on the shape of the guide groove 246 b as long as theguide groove 246 b is formed on the guide body 246 a to help aircirculation. In the embodiment, the guide groove 246 b may be formed tohave a plurality of holes along the circumference of the guide body 246a.

The second guide 247 may be formed to slide against the first guide 246.Specifically, the second guide 247 may be formed to be able to slideback and forth against the first guide 246. The second guide 247 may beshaped like a cylinder with a cavity.

The second guide 247 is configured to selectively open or close theguide groove 246 b of the first guide 246. In other words, the secondguide 247 may be configured to be movable between an open position 247 aand a close position 247 b of the first guide 246. Specifically, whenthe second guide 247 is in the open position 247 a, it is placed such adistance from the first guide 246 that the guide groove 246 b of thefirst guide 246 is open. When the second guide 247 is in the closeposition 247 b, it is placed so close to the first guide 246 that theguide groove 246 b of the first guide 246 is closed. It is seen that thesecond guide 247 has a corresponding shape to the first guide 246 b asshown in FIGS. 13 and 14 and is configured to slide between the openposition 247 a and the close position 247 b to be in close contact withthe inner circumferential face of the first guide 246. However, it isnot limited thereto, but a second guide 248 may also be configured toslide between an open position 248 a and a close position 248 b to be inclose contact with the outer circumferential face of the first guide 246as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

The aforementioned discharge guide and operating modes of the airconditioner will now be described.

If the air conditioner 1 is in the first mode, the door unit 60 islocated in the door open position 60 a. At this time, the second guide247 is located in the close position 247 b.

If the second guide 247, 248 is in the close position 247 b, 248 b, theguide groove 246 b of the first guide 246 is closed. This allows theheat exchanged air inside the air conditioner 1 to be discharged only tothe first discharger 41 through the first discharging fluid path 41 aformed inside the discharge guide 45. At this time, the seconddischarging fluid path 50 a is closed by the second guide 247, 248, sothe heat exchanged air is not discharged to the second discharger 50.

If the air conditioner 1 is in the second mode, the door unit 60 islocated in the door close position 60 b. At this time, the second guide247, 248 is located in the open position 247 a, 248 a.

If the second guide 247, 248 is in the open position 247 a, 248 a, theguide groove 246 b of the first guide 246 is open. This allows the heatexchanged air inside the air conditioner 1 to be discharged only to thesecond discharger 50 through the second discharging fluid path 50 aformed to pass the guide groove 246 b of the discharge guide 245. Atthis time, the first discharging fluid path 41 a is closed by the doorunit 60, so the heat exchanged air is not discharged to the firstdischarger 41.

An air conditioner in accordance with still another embodiment of thepresent disclosure will now be described.

Arrangements overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 17 and 18 show a discharge guide, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

A discharge guide 345 may include a first guide 346 and a second guide347.

The first guide 346 may include a first guide body 346 a and a firstguide groove 346 b.

The first guide body 346 a may have a cylindrical form with a cavity.Specifically, it may have the form of a pipe with one side facing theblower 30 and the other side facing the first discharger 41.

The first guide groove 346 b may be formed on the first guide body 346a. There are no limitations on the shape of the first guide groove 346 bas long as the first guide groove 346 b is formed on the first guidebody 346 a to help air circulation. In the embodiment, the first guidegroove 346 b may be formed to have a plurality of holes along thecircumference of the first guide body 346 a.

The second guide 347 is configured to selectively open or close thefirst guide groove 346 b of the first guide 346. The second guide 347may be formed to slide against the first guide 346 in thecircumferential direction. Specifically, the second guide 347 may beformed to be able to slide against the first guide 346 in thecircumferential direction. The second guide 347 may be shaped like acylinder with a cavity. The second guide 347 may be formed to be inclose contact with the outer circumferential face of the first guide346. It is not, however, limited thereto, but may closely contact theinner circumferential face of the first guide.

The second guide 347 may include a second guide body 347 a and a secondguide groove 347 b. The second guide body 347 a corresponds to the firstguide body 346 a, and the second guide groove 347 b corresponds to thefirst guide body 346 a.

The discharge guide 345 is configured to be movable between an openposition 345 a and a close position 345 b. Specifically, when thedischarge guide 345 is in the open position 345 a, the first guidegroove 346 b of the first guide 346 and the second guide groove 347 b ofthe second guide 347 are aligned. This allows air to flow past the firstand second guide grooves 346 b, 347 b.

If the discharge guide 345 is in the close position 345 b, the firstguide groove 346 b of the first guide 346 and the second guide body 347a of the second guide 347 are aligned. Conversely, the second guidegroove 347 b of the second guide 347 may be aligned with the first guidebody 346 a of the first guide 346. With this arrangement, the first andsecond guide grooves 346 b, 347 b are closed by the second guide body347 a and the first guide body 346 a, respectively. This prevents themoving air from flowing past the first and second guide grooves 346 b,347 b.

The discharge guide 345 may be configured to move between the closeposition 345 b and the open position 345 a, and the first guide 346 maybe configured to slide against the second guide 347 in thecircumferential direction. Conversely, it is also possible for thesecond guide 347 to slide against the first guide 346 in thecircumferential direction.

The aforementioned discharge guide and operating modes of the airconditioner will now be described.

If the air conditioner 1 is in the first mode, the door unit 60 islocated in the door open position 60 a. At this time, the dischargeguide 345 is located in the close position 345 b.

When the discharge guide 345 is in the close position 345 b, the firstand second guide grooves 346 b, 347 b are closed. This allows the heatexchanged air inside the air conditioner 1 to be discharged only to thefirst discharger 41 through the first discharging fluid path 41 a formedinside the discharge guide 345. At this time, the second dischargingfluid path 50 a does not discharge the heat exchanged air to the seconddischarger 50 because the first and second guide grooves 346 b, 347 bare closed.

If the air conditioner 1 is in the second mode, the door unit 60 islocated in the door close position 60 b. At this time, the dischargeguide 345 is located in the open position 345 a.

When the discharge guide 345 is in the open position 345 a, the firstand second guide grooves 346 b, 347 b are open. This allows the heatexchanged air inside the air conditioner 1 to be discharged only to thesecond discharger 50 through the second discharging fluid path 50 aformed to pass the first and second guide grooves 346 b, 347 b of thedischarge guide 345. At this time, the first discharging fluid path 41 ais closed by the door unit 60, so the heat exchanged air is notdischarged to the first discharger 41.

An air conditioner in accordance with still another embodiment of thepresent disclosure will now be described.

Arrangements overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

An indoor unit of an air conditioner 401 may include a housing 410having at least one opening 417 and forming the exterior, a heatexchanger (not shown) for exchanging heat with the air flowing into thehousing 410, a blower 430 for circulating air into or out of the housing410, and an air discharger 440 for discharging the air blown from theblower 430 out of the housing 410.

The blower 430 may include a blower fan (not shown) and a blower grill434.

The blower grill 434 may be arranged in a discharging direction of theblower fan. In the embodiment, the blower fan may be a mixed flow fanwithout being limited thereto, and may be any kind of fan that has theoutside air flow into the housing 410 and discharges the air out of thehousing 410. For example, the blower fan may be a cross fan, a turbofan, or a sirocco fan. There is no limitation on the number of theblower fans, and in the embodiment of the present disclosure, there maybe at least one blower fan corresponding to the at least one opening417.

The blower 430 may have a fan driver arranged in the center of theblower fan for driving the blower fan. The fan driver may include amotor.

The blower grill 434 may be arranged in front of the blower fan insidethe housing 410 for guiding airflow. Furthermore, the blower grill 434may be arranged between the blower fan and the discharger for minimizingthe influence of the outside condition on the blower fan.

The blower grill 434 may include a plurality of wings 436 and a circulardisc plate 435. The blower grill 434 may be formed to radially extendfrom the circular disc plate 435. The plurality of wings 436 may controlthe direction or the volume of the air blown from the blower fan to theair discharger 440 by controlling the number, shape, and/or angle ofdisposition of the wings 436.

The air discharger 440 may include a first discharger 441 and a seconddischarger 450.

The first discharger 441 is formed in between the plurality of wings 436of the blower grill 434 for discharging the air inside the housing 410to the outside, and the second discharger 450 is configured to dischargethe air inside the housing 410 to the outside through a dischargingplate 414 of the housing 410.

The housing 410 may include the discharging plate 414 where the seconddischarger 450 is formed, and the second discharger 450 includes aplurality of holes formed in the discharging plate 414. Although thedischarging plate 414 is formed on the front of the housing 410, thereare no limitations on where to place the discharging plate 414. Forexample, it may be formed on the side or on the top.

The second discharger 450 may be provided in the form of a plurality ofdischarging holes in the discharging plate 414 for uniformly and slowlydischarging the air blown by the blower 430 through the seconddischarger 450.

The air conditioner 401 may operate in different operation modes.

The different operation modes may include a first mode in which heatexchanged air is discharged through the first discharger 441, a secondmode in which heat exchanged air is discharged through the seconddischarger 450, and a third mode in which purified air is dischargedthrough the first and second dischargers 441 and 450.

An air conditioner in accordance with still another embodiment of thepresent disclosure will now be described.

Arrangements overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 21 and 22 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

An air conditioner 501 may include a housing 510 having at least oneopening 517 and forming the exterior, a heat exchanger (not shown) forexchanging heat with the air flowing into the housing 510, a blower fan(not shown) for circulating air into or out of the housing 510, and anair discharger 540 for discharging the air blown from the blower (notshown) out of the housing 510.

The air discharger 540 may include a first discharger 541 and a seconddischarger 550.

The first discharger 541 may be formed in an opening 517. The opening517 may have blades 517 a for controlling the direction of airdischarged through the first discharger 541. Specifically, the opening517 may be provided on a front panel 510 a. With the opening 517 havingthe blades 517 a, the direction of air discharged through the firstdischarger 541 may be controlled by operation of the blades 517 a. Thesecond discharger 550 is configured to discharge air inside the housing510 to the outside through a discharging plate 514 of the housing 510.

The housing 510 may include the discharging plate 514 where the seconddischarger 550 is formed, and the second discharger 550 includes aplurality of holes formed in the discharging plate 514. Although thedischarging plate 514 is formed on the front of the housing 510, thereare no limitations on where to place the discharging plate 514. Forexample, it may be formed on the side or on the top.

The second discharger 550 may be provided in the form of a plurality ofdischarging holes in the discharging plate 514 for uniformly and slowlydischarging the air blown by the blower (not shown) through the seconddischarger 550.

The air conditioner 501 may operate in different operation modes.

The different operation modes may include a first mode in which heatexchanged air is discharged through the first discharger 541, a secondmode in which heat exchanged air is discharged through the seconddischarger 550, and a third mode in which purified air is dischargedthrough the first and second dischargers 541 and 550.

An air conditioner in accordance with still another embodiment of thepresent disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

An air conditioner 601 is configured to enter into the ceiling.

The air conditioner 601 may include a housing 610 having at least oneopening 617 and forming the exterior, a heat exchanger (not shown) forexchanging heat with the air flowing into the housing 610, a blower (notshown) for circulating air into or out of the housing 610, and an airdischarger 640 for discharging the air blown from the blower out of thehousing 610. The housing 610 may be provided to be combined with theceiling. The blower may include a blower fan.

The air discharger 640 may include a first discharger 641 and a seconddischarger 650.

The first discharger 641 may be formed in an opening 617. The opening617 may have blades 617 a for controlling the direction of airdischarged through the first discharger 641. The second discharger 650is configured to discharge air inside the housing 610 to the outsidethrough a discharging panel 614 of the housing 610.

The housing 610 may include the discharging panel 614 where the seconddischarger 650 is formed, and the second discharger 650 includes aplurality of holes formed in the discharging panel 614. The housing 610is placed on the ceiling with the bottom face exposed to the indoorspace, so the discharging panel 614 may be provided on the bottom faceof the housing 610.

The second discharger 650 may be provided in the form of a plurality ofdischarging holes in the discharging panel 614 for uniformly and slowlydischarging the air blown by the blower through the second discharger650.

The air conditioner 601 may operate in different operation modes.

The different operation modes may include a first mode in which heatexchanged air is discharged through the first discharger 641, a secondmode in which heat exchanged air is discharged through the seconddischarger 650, and a third mode in which purified air is dischargedthrough the first and second dischargers 641 and 650.

An air conditioner in accordance with still another embodiment of thepresent disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 25 and 26 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

An air conditioner 701 is arranged to be fixed to the wall.

The air conditioner 701 may include a housing 710 having at least oneopening 717 and forming the exterior, a heat exchanger (not shown) forexchanging heat with the air flowing into the housing 710, a blower (notshown) for circulating air into or out of the housing 710, and an airdischarger 740 for discharging the air blown from the blower out of thehousing 710. The housing 710 may be fixed to an indoor wall. The blowermay include a blower fan.

The air discharger 740 may include a first discharger 741 and a seconddischarger 750.

The first discharger 741 may be formed in an opening 717. The opening717 may have blades 717 a for controlling the direction of airdischarged through the first discharger 741. The second discharger 750is configured to discharge air inside the housing 710 to the outsidethrough a discharging panel of the housing 710.

The housing 710 may include the discharging plate 714 where the seconddischarger 750 is formed, and the second discharger 750 includes aplurality of holes formed in the discharging plate 714. Although thedischarging plate 714 is formed on the front of the housing 710, thereare no limitations on where to place the discharging plate 714. Forexample, it may be formed on the side or on the top.

The second discharger 750 may be provided in the form of a plurality ofdischarging holes in the discharging plate 714 for uniformly and slowlydischarging the air blown by the blower through the second discharger750.

The air conditioner 701 may operate in different operation modes.

The different operation modes may include a first mode in which heatexchanged air is discharged through the first discharger 741, a secondmode in which heat exchanged air is discharged through the seconddischarger 750, and a third mode in which purified air is dischargedthrough the first and second dischargers 741 and 750.

An air conditioner in accordance with still another embodiment of thepresent disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 27 and 28 show an air conditioner, according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

As a type of air conditioner, an air purifier 801 will be described.

The air purifier 801 may include a housing 810 forming the exterior, asucking part 816 arranged on one side of the housing 810 for sucking inoutside air of the housing 810, and an air discharger for dischargingthe air flowing in through the sucking part 816 to the outside of thehousing 810.

Furthermore, the air purifier 801 may include a dust collector filterplaced inside the housing 810 for adsorbing and filtering out foreignmaterials such as dust, odor particles, etc., contained in the air, anda blower (not shown) for performing blowing operation to discharge theindoor air sucked in through the sucking part 816 and purified by thedust collector filter through the air discharger.

The air discharger may include a first discharger 841 and a seconddischarger 850.

The first discharger 841 is configured to discharge the air purified bythe dust collector filter at a high wind velocity, and the seconddischarger 850 is configured to discharge the air purified by the dustcollector filter through a discharge panel of the housing 810 at a lowwind velocity.

The first discharger 841 is provided in the form of an opening on thehousing 810 for directly discharging the air blown by the blower (notshown).

The housing 810 may include the discharging plate 814 where the seconddischarger 850 is formed, and the second discharger 850 includes aplurality of holes formed in the discharging plate 814.

The second discharger 850 may be provided in the form of a plurality ofdischarging holes in the discharging plate 814 for uniformly and slowlydischarging the air blown by the blower through the plurality ofdischarging holes.

The air purifier 801 may operate in different operation modes.

The different operation modes may include a first mode in which thepurified air is discharged through the first discharger 841, a secondmode in which the purified air is discharged through the seconddischarger 850, and a third mode in which the purified air is dischargedthrough the first and second dischargers 841 and 850.

Driving the door unit 60 and controlling discharged air flows accordingto the driving of the door unit 60 will now be described in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure. Configurations overlappingwith what are described above will be omitted herein.

FIG. 29 is a rear perspective view of a door unit, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 30 is an exploded perspectiveview illustrating a structure of the door unit of FIG. 29, FIG. 31 showsa door blade of the door unit of FIG. 29, FIG. 32 shows a first housingcover of the door unit of FIG. 29, FIG. 33 shows an inner housing of thedoor unit of FIG. 29, FIG. 34 shows structures of an outer housing and apower transfer part of the door unit of f FIG. 29, FIG. 35 shows acoupling relationship between a gear part and the power transfer part tobe coupled with the outer housing of the door unit of FIG. 29, and FIGS.36 to 38 show a flow path in an air conditioner, through which the heatexchanged air is discharged by driving of the door unit of FIG. 29.

Referring to FIGS. 29 to 38, the door unit 60 in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure may include the door blade 62 foropening or closing the opening 17 (see FIG. 3) and the door operatingpart 66 for moving the door blade 62 forward or backward.

The door operating part 66 may include an outer housing 67, an innerhousing 68, a power transfer part 67 b, and a housing cover 69.

The outer housing 67 may have at least one first guide 67 a diagonallyformed thereon at an angle against the side. The first guide 67 a mayguide the direction of movement of a first coupling portion 68 a of theinner housing 68, as will be described later, after the first couplingportion 68 a is inserted to the first guide 67 a.

A gear part 67 c may be formed on one side of the outer housing 67. Thegear part 67 c may be connected to the power transfer part 67 b forrotating the outer housing 67 with rotational force produced from thepower transfer part 67 b. The gear part 67 c may include a first gear 67d coupled to the power transfer part 67 b, a second gear 67 e formedinside the outer housing 67, and a third gear 67 f engaged with thefirst and second gears 67 d and 67 e. The power transfer part 67 b maybe coupled to the gear part 67 c inside the outer housing 67.

The inner housing 68 may be arranged inside the outer housing 67. Theinner housing 68 may have the first coupling portion 68 a formed thereonto be combined with the first guide 67 a. The first coupling portion 68a may be formed at a position to be inserted to the first guide 67 a.

The inner housing 68 may have a second coupling portion 68 b formedthereon to be combined with a combining hole 62 a formed on the bottomof the door blade 62. The second coupling portion 68 b may be formed onthe opposite side to the door blade 62. The second coupling portion 68 bmay be provided at a position to be inserted to the combining hole 62 a.

The housing cover 69 may include a first housing cover 69 a and a secondhousing cover 69 b.

The first housing cover 69 a may be combined with the inner housing 68and the door blade 62. The first housing cover 69 a may have a secondguide 69 c, 69 d formed therein. The second guide 69 c, 69 d may guidethe first coupling portion 68 a to move in the parallel direction to themoving direction of the door blade 62. The second guide 69 c, 69 d maybe formed for the first coupling portion 68 a to move along the secondguide groove 69 d.

The door operating part 66 may move the door blade 62 forward orbackward using the rotational force produced from the power transferpart 67 b.

The rotational force produced from the power transfer part 67 b rotatesthe outer housing 67 through the gear part 67 c, enabling the innerhousing 68 and the first housing cover 69 a to be moved forward orbackward from the air conditioner with the first coupling portion 68 acombined with the first guide 67 a of the outer housing 67 and thesecond guide 69 c, 69 d. This may enable the door operating part 66 toopen or close the opening 17 (see FIG. 3) by moving the door blade 62forward or backward.

As shown in FIGS. 36 to 38, with the operation of the door unit 60, themoving direction of the air discharged through the opening 17 may becontrolled.

As shown in FIG. 36, while the door unit 60 closes the opening 17, theheat exchanged air may be discharged through the second discharger 50formed on the outer side of the opening 17.

As shown in FIG. 37, with the gap of first distance D1 between the doorunit 60 and the opening 17, the air discharged through the firstdischarger 41 may move forward from the air conditioner in a straightline. The first distance D1 may be set to 45 to 55 mm.

As shown in FIG. 38, with the gap of second distance D2 between the doorunit 60 and the opening 17, the air discharged through the firstdischarger 41 may be radially discharged from the opening 17 of the airconditioner. The second distance D2 may be set to 25 to 45 mm.

The door unit 60 may further include a controller (not shown) forcontrolling the air discharged from the opening 17 to move forward in astraight line or to be radially discharged from the opening 17 bycontrolling the distance between the door blade 62 and the opening 17.The controller may control the rotational direction of the powertransfer part 67 b for the door unit 60 to open or close the opening 17.The controller may also control the rotational direction of the powertransfer part 67 b for the door unit 60 to open or close the opening 17,thereby controlling the direction of air discharged from the firstdischarger 41.

A door unit 70 of the air conditioner in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a door unit, according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 40 is an exploded perspectiveview illustrating a structure of the door unit of FIG. 39, FIG. 41 is arear view of a door operating part in the door unit of FIG. 39, FIG. 42shows the door operating part of the door unit of FIG. 39, which isseparated from an outer housing, FIG. 43 shows the door operating partof the door unit of FIG. 39, which is separated from the outer housing,an inner housing, and a housing cover, and FIGS. 44 to 46 show drivingof the door unit of FIG. 39.

Referring to FIGS. 39 to 46, the door unit 70 in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure may include a door blade 71 foropening or closing the opening 17 (see FIG. 3), a door operating part75, 76, 77 and a driver 78 for moving the door blade 71 forward orbackward.

The door blade 71 may include a first blade 71 a and a second blade 71 bin the form of a ring enclosing the outside of the first blade 71 a. Thefirst and second blades 71 a and 71 b may open or close the opening 17while moving separately.

The door unit 70 may further include a first housing cover 73 on which afirst coupling portion 73 a is formed for the second blade 71 b to bedriven separately from the first blade 71 a. The first housing cover 73may move the second blade 71 b forward or backward. The first housingcover 73 may be provided to be moved as the first coupling portion 73 ais combined with first and third guides 75 b and 76 b, which will bedescribed later.

The first blade 71 a may be combined with the housing cover 77 and movedforward or backward along with the movement of the housing cover 77. Thehousing cover 77 may have a second coupling portion 77 a formed thereonand may be moved forward or backward as the second coupling portion 77 ais combined with second and forth guides 75 a and 76 a.

The outer housing 75 may have the first guide 75 b and the second guide75 a on a side. The first guide 75 b may be combined with the firstcoupling portion 73 a of the first housing cover 73 to guide themovement of the first housing cover 73 and the second blade 71 b. Thesecond guide 75 a may be combined with the second coupling portion 77 aof the housing cover 77 to guide the movement of the housing cover 77and the first blade 71 a.

The inner housing 76 may have the third and fourth guides 76 b and 76 aon a side. The third guide 76 b may be configured to have at least aportion facing the first guide 75 b. The third guide 76 b may becombined with the first coupling portion 73 a of the first housing cover73 to guide the movement of the first housing cover 73 and the secondblade 71 b.

The fourth guide 76 a may be configured to have at least a portionfacing the second guide 75 a. The fourth guide 76 a may be combined withthe first coupling portion 73 a of the first housing cover 73 to guidethe movement of the first housing cover 73 and the second blade 71 b.

The door unit 70 may further include a border part 72 for separating thedoor unit 70 into inside and outside to form a fluid path in the doorunit 70. The door unit 70 may form the fluid path on the inner side ofthe border part 72.

The door unit 70 may improve the effect of moving the air dischargedfrom the first discharger 41 in a straight line as the first and secondblades 71 a and 71 b move to the inside of the air conditioner. This mayimprove an efficiency of the air conditioner.

A door unit 80 of the air conditioner in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIG. 47 is a perspective view of a door unit, according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 48 is an exploded perspectiveview illustrating a structure of the door unit of FIG. 47, and FIGS. 49to 51 show driving of the door unit of FIG. 47.

Referring to FIGS. 47 to 51, the door unit 80 may include a door blade81, 82 for opening or closing the opening 17 (see FIG. 3) and a dooroperating part 85, 86 for moving the door blade 81, 82 forward orbackward.

The door blade 81, 82 may include a first blade 81 and a second blade 82in the form of a ring enclosing the outside of the first blade 81. Thefirst and second blades 81 and 82 may open or close the opening 17 whilemoving separately. The first and second blades 81 and 82 may movedifferent distances.

The door blade 81, 82 may be combined with the door operating part 85,86. The door operating part 85, 86 may be configured to move the firstand second blades 81 and 82 separately.

The door operating part 85, 86 may include a base plate 85 and a linkmember 86. The base plate 85 may have a guide groove 85 a formed on theopposite side to the door blade 81, 82. One end of the link member 86may be combined with the guide groove 85 a for the link member 86 tomove along the guide groove 85 a.

The link member 86 may include a first link 86 a, second link 86 b, anda third link 86 c.

The first link 86 a may be combined with the first blade 81 at one endwith the other end movable in the guide groove 85 a. The first link 86 amay be configured for the first blade 81 to be movable forward orbackward from the opening 17 (see FIG. 3).

The second link 86 b may be combined with the first link 86 a at one endwith the other end fixed to the guide groove 85 a.

The third link 86 c may connect the first link 86 a and the second link86 b. The third link 86 c may be combined with a coupling portion 82 aof the second blade 82. The third link 86 c may be configured for thesecond blade 82 to be movable forward or backward from the opening 17(see FIG. 3).

With the configurations, the door unit 80 may improve the effect ofmoving the air discharged from the first discharger 41 in a straightline as the first and second blades 81 and 82 move to the inside of theair conditioner. This may improve an efficiency of the air conditioner.

FIG. 52 is an exploded perspective view of a door unit, according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 53 is a rear view ofa door operating part in the door unit of FIG. 52, FIG. 54 shows thedoor operating part of FIG. 52, which is separated from an outerhousing, FIG. 55 shows the door operating part of FIG. 52, which isseparated from the outer housing, an inner housing, and a housing cover,and FIGS. 56 to 57 show driving of the door operating part of FIG. 52.

Referring to FIGS. 52 to 57, the door unit in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure may include a door blade 92 foropening or closing the opening 17 (see FIG. 3) and a door operating part96 for moving the door blade 92 forward or backward.

The door operating part 96 may include an outer housing 97, an innerhousing 98, a power transfer part 98 c, and a housing cover 99.

The outer housing 97 may form the outer side of the door operating part96. The outer housing 97 may have a first guide hole 97 a formed in aparallel direction to the moving direction of the door blade 92. Thefirst guide hole 97 a may guide the direction of movement of a combiningprotrusion 99 a of the housing cover 99, which will be described later,when the combining protrusion 99 a is inserted to the first guide hole97 a.

The inner housing 98 may be arranged inside the outer housing 97. Theinner housing 98 may be provided to be able to rotate inside the outerhousing 97 relatively to the outer housing 97.

The inner housing 98 may have a second guide hole 98 a formed thereon.The second guide hole 98 a may have at least a portion located in anoverlapping position with the first guide hole 97 a. The second guidehole 98 a may be diagonally formed on an opposite side to the firstguide hole 97 a. The combining protrusion 99 a inserted to the firstguide hole 97 a may be inserted to the second guide hole 98 a. Thesecond guide hole 98 a may guide the combining protrusion 99 a to moveforward or backward along the second guide hole 98 a according torotation of the inner housing 98.

The inner housing 98 may have a gear part 98 b formed on the bottom. Thegear part 98 b may be engaged with a power transfer part 98 c. The gearpart 98 b may be configured to rotate the inner housing 98 using therotational force produced from the power transfer part 98 c.

The housing cover 99 may be combined with the inner housing 98 and thedoor blade 92. The housing cover 99 may include the combining protrusion99 a to be inserted to the first and second guide holes 97 a and 98 a.The housing cover 99 may be moved forward or backward along the firstand second guide holes 97 a and 98 a according to rotation of the innerhousing 98. This may enable the housing cover 99 to move the door blade92 forward or backward.

As shown in FIGS. 48 and 49, the door operating part 96 may move thedoor blade 92 forward or backward using the rotational force producedfrom the power transfer part 98 c.

The rotation force produced from the power transfer part 98 c may rotatethe inner housing 98 through the gear part 98 b, and the housing cover99 inserted to the second guide hole 98 a of the inner housing 98 mayhave increasing or decreasing relative distance to the inner housing 98along the second guide hole 98 a. Since the combining protrusion 99 a ofthe housing cover 99 is inserted in both the second guide hole 98 a andthe first guide hole 97 a, the housing cover 99 may be moved forward orbackward from the air conditioner without being rotated. This may enablethe housing cover 99 to open or close the opening 17 (see FIG. 3) bymoving the door blade 92 forward or backward.

A door unit 100 of the air conditioner in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 58 to 60 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 58 to 60, the door unit 100 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present disclosure may include a door blade101 for opening or closing the opening 17 (see FIG. 3), a door operatingpart 105, and a driver 108 for moving the door blade 101 forward orbackward.

The door blade 101 may include a first blade 101 a and a second blade101 b in the form of a ring enclosing the outside of the first blade 101a. The first and second blades 101 a and 101 b may open or close theopening 17 while moving separately.

The first blade 101 a may include a guide curve 103 for guiding thedischarged air. The second blade 101 b may include a guide curve 104formed on the inner circumferential face and/or outer circumferentialface to guide the discharged air.

The first and second blades 101 a and 101 b of the door blade 101 may beseparately driven by driving methods shown in FIGS. 39 to 46.

The door unit 100 may further include a border part 102 for separatingthe door unit 100 into inside and outside to form a fluid path in thedoor unit 100. The door unit 100 may form the fluid path on the innerside of the border part 102.

The door unit 100 may improve the effect of moving the air dischargedfrom the first discharger 41 in a straight line as the first and secondblades 101 a and 101 b sequentially move to the inside of the airconditioner as shown in FIG. 59 or sequentially move to the outside ofthe air conditioner as shown in FIG. 60. Accordingly, the door unit 100may improve an efficiency of the air conditioner.

A door unit 110 of the air conditioner in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 61 to 63 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 61 to 63, the door unit 110 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present disclosure may include a door blade111 for opening or closing the opening 17, a door operating part 115 anda driver 118 for moving the door blade 111 forward or backward.

The door blade 111 may include a first blade 111 a, a second blade 111 bin the form of a ring enclosing the outside of the first blade 111 a,and a third blade 111 c enclosing the outside of the second blade 111 b.The first, second, and third blades 111 a and 111 c may open or closethe opening 17 while moving separately.

The first blade 111 a may include a guide curve 113 for guiding thedischarged air. The second blade 111 b may include a guide curve 114formed on the inner circumferential face and/or outer circumferentialface to guide the discharged air. The third blade 111 c may include aguide curve 116 formed on the inner circumferential face and/or outercircumferential face to guide the discharged air.

The first, second, and third blades 111 a, 111 b, and 111 c of the doorblade 111 may be separately driven by driving methods shown in FIGS. 39to 46.

The door unit 110 may further include a border part 112 for separatingthe door unit 110 into inside and outside to form a fluid path in thedoor unit 100. The door unit 110 may form the fluid path inside theborder part 112.

The door unit 110 may improve the effect of moving the air dischargedfrom the first discharger 41 in a straight line as the first, second,and third blades 111 a, 111 b, and 111 c sequentially move to the insideof the air conditioner as shown in FIG. 62 or sequentially move to theoutside of the air conditioner as shown in FIG. 63. Accordingly, thedoor unit 110 may improve an efficiency of the air conditioner.

A door unit 120 of the air conditioner in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 64 to 66 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 64 to 66, the door unit 120 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present disclosure may include a door blade121 for opening or closing the opening 17, and a door driver 128 formoving the door blade 121 forward or backward.

The door blade 121 may have the form of a disc and include a guide curve123 for guiding the discharged air.

The door blade 121 may be driven to the inside and/or outside of the airconditioner as the door driver 128 has a driving structure shown inFIGS. 39 to 46.

The inside of the housing 10, which forms the opening 17, may include acurved portion 123 formed to be curved toward the outside of the housing10 to increase the area of a discharging fluid path of the airdischarged through the first discharger 41. The curved portion 123 mayimprove the discharge efficiency of the air conditioner.

The door unit 120 may open or close the opening 17 to discharge the heatexchanged air as the door blade 121 is moved to the inside of the airconditioner as shown in FIG. 65 or to the outside of the air conditioneras shown in FIG. 66. In addition, the curved portion 123 may increasethe discharge efficiency of the air discharged through the firstdischarger 41.

A door unit 130 of the air conditioner in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 67 and 68 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 67 and 68, the door unit 130 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present disclosure may include a door blade131 for opening or closing the opening 17, a door operating part 135,136, and a driver 138 for moving the door blade 131 forward or backward.

The door blade 131 may include a flexible material. The door blade 131may be a film that may be rolled. The door blade 131 may open or closethe opening 17 by sliding on the opening 17 in the radial direction ofthe opening 17.

The door blade 131 may include a guide rail 135 on the rear surfacefacing the inside of the housing 10 for moving the door blade 131 byreceiving power from a power transfer part 136, which will be describedlater.

Sliding of the door blade 131 on the opening 17 may be guided by a guide133 provided inside the housing 10.

The door operating part 135, 136 may include the guide rail 135 formedon the rear surface of the door blade 131, and the power transfer part136 for moving the door blade 131 with power received from the driver138 which will be described later.

The driver 138 generates and delivers power to the power transfer part136. The driver 138 may be a motor.

The door unit 130 may open or close the opening 17 as the door operatingpart 135, 136 moves the door blade 131 on the opening 17 to the left orright with the power generated by the driver 138. Specifically, as thedriver 138 is activated while the door blade 131 closes the opening asshown in FIG. 67, the door operating part 135, 136 may move the doorblade 131 to the right to open the opening as shown in FIG. 68. In thisregard, since the door blade 131 is formed of a flexible material, itmay bend against the inside of the housing 10 and may be kept inside thehousing 10. However, the moving direction of the door blade 131 is notlimited to the left or right direction, but may also be moved verticallyor at an angle.

A door unit 100 of the air conditioner in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure will now be described.

Configurations overlapping with what are described above will be omittedherein.

FIGS. 69 and 70 are schematic views illustrating driving of a door unit,according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 69 and 70, a door unit 140 in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present disclosure may include a door blade 141 foropening or closing the opening 17, and a door driver 148 for moving thedoor blade 141 forward or backward.

The door blade 141 may be shaped like a disc and may include an elasticmaterial. The door blade 141 may include silicon or rubber. A portion ofthe front of the door blade 141 is fixed to the housing 10 and the rearface is connected to the door driver 148. With the structure, the doorblade 141 may have the diameter that may be changed as the door driver148 moves forward or backward.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 69, when the door driver 148 movesforward, the door blade 141 may have a first diameter and may close theopening 17. More specifically, when the door driver 148 moves forwardand pushes the rear face of the door blade 141 forward, the door blade141 has an increasing diameter and closes the opening 17. On thecontrary, referring to FIG. 70, when the door driver 148 moves backward,the door blade 141 may have a second diameter that is smaller than thefirst diameter and open part of the outer circumference of the opening17. More specifically, when the door driver 148 moves backward and pullsthe rear face of the door blade 141 backward, the door blade 141 has adecreasing diameter and opens the opening 17. In this regard, the doorunit 140 may include a controller (not shown) for controlling an openingextent of the opening 17 by controlling the forward and/or backwarddistance of the door driver 148 to control the size of the diameter ofthe door blade 141.

The door driver 148 may be connected to the rear face of the door blade141 to change the diameter of the door blade 141. The door driver 148may move forward or backward inside the housing 10 according to drivingmethods shown in FIGS. 39 to 46.

Several embodiments have been described, but a person of ordinary skillin the art will understand and appreciate that various modifications canbe made without departing the scope of the present disclosure.

Thus, it will be apparent to those ordinary skilled in the art that thedisclosure is not limited to the embodiments described, which have beenprovided only for illustrative purposes.

What is claimed is:
 1. An air conditioner comprising: a housing havingan opening; a discharge guide disposed in the opening and having a guideopening; a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air flowinginto the housing; and a door unit configured to open or close the guideopening by moving forward or backward from the guide opening throughwhich the heat exchanged air is discharged, wherein the door unitcomprises: a door blade configured to open or close the guide opening; afirst housing having at least one first guide diagonally formed thereonat an angle against the side; a second housing having a first couplingportion inserted into the first guide and formed to move along the firstguide; and a power transfer part to transmit power for rotating thefirst housing.
 2. The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the firsthousing is configured to be rotated relative to the second housing. 3.The air conditioner of claim 1, wherein the door unit further comprisesa housing cover having a second guide to guide the first couplingportion to move in the same direction as the direction of movement ofthe door blade.
 4. The air conditioner of claim 3, wherein the firstcoupling portion moves forward or backward along the first guide and thesecond guide to move the door blade forward or backward when the powertransfer part rotates the first housing.
 5. The air conditioner of claim3, wherein the housing cover is fixed to the housing.
 6. The airconditioner of claim 3, wherein the second housing is slidably movablerelative to the housing cover.
 7. The air conditioner of claim 1,wherein the first housing comprises a gear part formed on one side. 8.The air conditioner of claim 7, wherein the gear part is connected tothe power transfer part and is configured to rotate the first housing bya rotational force generated in the power transfer part.
 9. The airconditioner of claim 7, wherein the gear part is provided at a rear endportion of the first housing.
 10. The air conditioner of claim 7,wherein the gear part comprises a gear connected to the power transferpart.
 11. The air conditioner of claim 7, wherein the gear partcomprises a gear connected to the first housing.
 12. The air conditionerof claim 1, wherein the second housing is fixed to the door blade. 13.An air conditioner comprising: a housing having an opening; a dischargeguide disposed in the opening and having a guide opening; a heatexchanger configured to exchange heat with air flowing into the housing;and a door unit configured to open or close the guide opening by movingforward or backward from the guide opening through which the heatexchanged air is discharged, wherein the door unit comprises: a doorblade configured to open or close the guide opening; a first housinghaving at least one first guide diagonally formed thereon at an angleagainst the side; a second housing having a first coupling portioninserted into the first guide and formed to move along the first guide,and fixed to the door blade; a housing cover having a second guide toguide the first coupling portion to move in the same direction as themovement direction of the door blade, and on which the second housing isslidably mounted; and a power transfer part to transmit power forrotating the first housing.
 14. The air conditioner of claim 13, whereinthe second housing is guided by the first housing and the housing coverand moves forward or backward while moving the door blade forward orbackward when the power transfer part rotates the first housing.
 15. Theair conditioner of claim 13, wherein the first housing comprises a gearpart formed at one side and configured to receive a rotational forcegenerated in the power transfer part.